Bobby Joe Ebola Bio:

Bobby Joe Ebola and The Children MacNuggits was mightily formed in 1995 in a fast-food parking lot by guitarist Dan Abbott and singer Corbett Redford. The often funny and sometimes scary band built a dangerously loyal following of punks, misfits, elected representatives, perverts and intellectuals, before going on hiatus for the entire tenure of the Bush Administration. In 2009, the band rebuilt its war machine and is once again shocking contemporaries with toe-tapping uncomfortable truths.

The MacNuggits have become legend in the musical underground of the Bay Area and beyond, with their infamously unpredictable mix of searing social satire, soaring harmonies, outlandish and shocking truths, and poop jokes. The songs draw upon a variety of pop culture, of global crises, of interpersonal labyrinths, of nightmares and daydreams, skewering them on a rusty spit for the world to see. With a nod to social satirists like Lenny Bruce and George Carlin, and musical influences ranging from They Might Be Giants to DeBarge, Bobby Joe Ebola is the vaudeville routine for your personal apocalypse.

Dan and Corbett write the songs. Dan plays guitar. Then very strange things start to happen. The apocalypse, just like revolution, is not an event but a process, and it’s hilarious.

Bobby Joe Ebola began as a living room band, gaining underground notoriety as flagship band of S.P.A.M. Records, and co-founders of Geekfest, with longtime friend John Mink (better known as “John Geek”), who also provided occasional backup vocals. Lacking the blasting amplifiers of the punk or rock bands with whom they played, they found creative ways to react to the “novelty band” stigma, captivating audiences with unpredictable and hilarious performances. An intensive touring schedule took them around the nation several times, and the Ebola boys had the opportunity to play with groups like: NoMeansNo, !!! (pronounced Chk Chk Chk), Classics of Love (featuring Jesse Micheals of Op Ivy), The Phenomenauts, Moon Zappa, Mystic Knights of the Cobra, Long Beach Dub All-Stars (ex-Sublime), Fishbone, Cadillac Tramps, The Toyes, Papa Roach, Kepi Ghoulie, Greg Attonito of Bouncing Souls, Kevin Seconds, The Angry Samoans, Against All Authority, Your Mother, Hickey, Captured! By Robots and The Evaporators at venues such as Cafe Du Nord (San Francisco), Rickshaw Stop (San Francisco), The Punchline (San Francisco) Bottom of the Hill (S.F.), Slim’s (S.F.), Crest Theater (Sacramento), Phoenix Theater (Petaluma), 924 Gilman Street (Berkeley), Spaceland (L.A.), The Uptown (Oakland), Speak in Tongues (Cleveland), ABCNORIO (New York) and 17 Nautical Miles (Portland).

Their first release, in 1996, was the “Two Cats” EP. It “sold” out very quickly (most were given away to local high schoolers) and somehow got played frequently on Dr. Demento’s radio show, a brief late night appearance on KITS, as well as regular play and subsequent CMJ charting on KALX (Berkeley), KSUN (Sonoma) and KXLU (LA). The band followed it up in summer 1997 with the full length At One With The Dumb, touring and setting up free guerrilla Geekfest shows, for which they were the house band and occasional masters of ceremonies. The band has also released a split 7” with Your Mother and been on a whole bunch of compilations. Carmelita Sings! was released in 2000, went to #1 on KALX (Berkeley) and the band broke up shortly after. After nearly a decade hiatus, the band reformed, writing new songs and performing with renewed vigor.

While not together as a band, The MacNuggits kept themselves busy. Dan wrote and directed a rock opera for the stage in 2006 called Day of the Zombie. He also continues to play in the all-mutant, jug band, Thee Hobogoblins. Corbett spent his time releasing way too many records for the likes of Gravy Train!!!, Fleshies, Rock and Roll Adventure Kids and The Blast Rocks!!!, to name a few. He also sang for the Bay Area punk band, Neverending Party, released a few records with them and left to pursue a career teaching animals how to comprehend human expletives.

2010 saw the release of two brand new albums, the first in ten years, by the MacNuggits. The first was a four song digital EP with accompanying music video (a first for the band!) called The “Freaky Baby” EP. The music video, in the four short months since it’s release has nearly eclipsed the 10,000 view mark on the web channels including YouTube and Funny of Die. The video was directed by Emmy nominated film crew, Bent Lens and features the acclaimed bicycle dance troupe, The Bay Area Derailleurs.

Shortly after the release of The “Freaky Baby” EP, Bobby Joe Ebola released the full-length LP, “F“, a 13 song album, to wide critical acclaim. The album immediately found it’s way onto local college radio charts at KALX (Berkeley), KDVS (Davis) and KUSF (San Francisco). Next to filming their first music video, another monumental first happened for the band in 2010. The MacNuggits were picked up by a label, Silver Sprocket Bicycle Club, a self-proclaimed “fun-cult” based out of San Francisco.

The release of these albums saw the Ebola boys playing over 80 shows in 2010, most of them on a number of US tours to every town and coast in the continental United States. Shows included gigs at The Fest in Gainesville, FL, Art Outside in Austin, TX and other exciting stops. The MacNuggits ended the year making a guest appearance on their friend, comedian Alex Koll‘s “Wizard Hello” CD on Rooftop Comedy.

2011 stands to be a busy and ambitious year for the MacNuggits with plans to record, a month long US tour, an ambitious plan to film 13 music videos (one for every song on their LP, “F”) and future plans to journey to Europe.